Process for desulfurizing and agglomerating ores.



G. ROBINSON. PROCESS FOR DBSULFURIZING AND AGGLOMERATING ORES.

APPLIOATION FILED JUNE 27, 1908v Patented June 29, 1909.

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O. ROBINSON. PROCESS FOR DESULFURIZING AND AGGLOMERATING ORE-S. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 21, 1908.

926,289. Patented June 29, 1909.

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PROCESS FOR DESULFURIZING AND AGGLOMERATING ORES. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 27, 1908.

926,289, Patented June 29, 1909.

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CYRUS ROBINSON, OF MOUNT VERNON, NEW YORK.

PROCESS FOR DESULFURIZING- AND AGGLOMERATING ORES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 29, 1909.

Application filed June 27, 1908. Serial No. 440,761.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CYRUS RoBINsoN, a

' subject of Great Britain, residing at Mount j ects of my improvements are, (1) to rovide a process by which ores can be desu furized and agglomerated continuously; (2), to accomplish this without the use of extraneous fuel or heat after the inception of the combustion, and also without the use of any rcagents; (3), to. shorten the period of operation; (4), to produce a sintcr which can be smelted in the blast or other furnace without briqueting or any intermediate treatment whatever (5), to collect the sulfur gases in such concentrated form that they may be readily converted into sulfuric acid.

My process is designed for desulfurizing and agglomerating any sulfid ores or a mixture of sulfid, fine ore and fluxes, whereby a product will be discharged in condition for smelting without further treatment. In all other processes known to me, it is necessary to use extraneous fuel for each charge to be treated, or where the process is continuous by the continuous application of extraneous heat. This consumption of fuel, not only makes such processes expensive by comparison, but involves with many roasters, the installation of apparatus for the manufacture of gas or charcoal. In my process, after it is once put in operation the roasting and agglomerating may be continued indefinitely without the use of extraneous fuel where the sulfur is sufficiently high to perpetuate the combustion, and if it is desired to roast and agglomerate ores containing too little sulfur for such result, I mix with the ore to be treated, coke fines or other fuel to assist in the roasting and agglomerating. Again in the methods referred to, it has been found that the results are very imperfect'without the use of some reagent, such as oxid of lime, to prevent the ore forming into masses or cakes before a satisfactory desulfurization has occurred. The objections above pointed out, I overcome by my improved process,

which as will appear below is continuous in operation, makes use of no reagent, and delivers the desulfurized ore in an agglomerate form and a partially fused condition, avoiding the necessity of briqueting and effecting a saving of fuel in smelting.

I attain the above mentioned objects by the process hereinafter described.

In the accompanying drawings, I have illustrated a form of apparatus which is adapted for carrying out my process.

Figure 1, is a vertical sectional view of my apparatus on the line XX of Fig. 2. Fig. 2, is a vertical sectional view at right angles to Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view through the-air chamber. Fig. 4 is a detailed view of a surface of a roll.

In the drawings 1 represents the vertical rectangular body portion or roasting chamber supported on bearings 15, and surmounted by an ore hopper 2. I construct my roasting chamber of a limited depth so that a comparatively thin stream of ore is passed through the same. This is preferred, as it is in the treatment of large quantities of ore under blast that the formation of slag in the center and the failure to sinter at the top takes lace. This chamber 1 is surrounded at the 'ase by a hood 3, extending below the same and covering a pair of toothed rolls 8. Surrounding said roasting chamber at a suit able height is a chamber 4, which is connected with the air blast at the inlet 10. Access by the air to the inside of said roasting chamber is gained through apertured plates or grates 5. At a suitable distance above said chamber 4 is another chamber 6 surrounding said body and provided with an outlet 11 for the discharge of the gases, which pass into said chamber from the roasting chamber through the perforated plates 12. The gases which find their way downward are collected by the hood 3 and rise through the flue 15 to either the outlet 11 or 17 according to the arrangement of the dampers 18 and 16.

The rolls 8 are located below the greater sides of the roasting chamber in such relative positions that their teeth 9 and 19 will engage the descendingdesulfu rized and agglomerated ore.

mechanism and being rotated downwardly toward each other at a predetermined speed regulate and assist the flow of the descendlng material through the chamber. Some of the These rolls are driven by any suitable teeth (10) I construct deeper than theothers for theeurpose of breaking the agglomerated into sinters of suitable sizes.

a v u rocess is as follows:Cl1an1ber 1 18 The p top'of grate 5.

turned 011 through'air inlet 10 aiding'the combustion of the fuel. Ore is then fedinto the machine through hopper 2 until the hopper is filled. Combustion is, then'started m the bottomlayer of ore' andlmounts upward to a I oint itSllOlttllSlZ-ZLIYQB below the smoke outet. As soon as sulfur fumes-are noted at the smoke outlet, the rolls8 are setinmotion'and the material :is gradu ally and regularly} fed: through the roasting chamber. The air blast is maintained at suchv a pressure as to; create a temperature which at its maximum:-

will slightly fuse the ore and'cause its agglom oration. When this stage is passed most of the desulfurization' has taken place but-the process of desulfurization continues solong as the material is in the chamber. The rolls .8 can be adjusted laterally by means of adj usting screws, as shown, so that the agglomerated and roasted product can be discharged in blocksof convenient size for handling and treatment in the furnace. The revolution of the rolls is maintained at such a speed that the ore while passing through the roasting chamber remains therein the time required to effect its desu'lfurization, and so that one continuous stream of agglomerated ore is discharged from the roasting chamber so long as the ore supply and air blast supply are maintained. 1

In some cases it has been found that the ore has a tendency to incrust upon the sides of the roasting chamber. To revent this inerustation, I provide an annular trough 6 and a series of perforations 20 leading therefrom into the roasting chamber. A fluid mixture of graphite and soft soap or other suitable material being placed in the trough passes through the said erforations and down the inside of the wal s of the roasting chamber thus preventing the inerustation mentioned, at the same time cooling the walls.

Other forms of apparatus may also be used, and I therefore specifically state that I do not wish to be limited to the form herewith illustrated.

I claim:

1. The method of continuously desulfurizing ores, which consists in maintaining a zone of heat in a passing stream of ores without the use of extraneous fuel.

2. The method of continuously desulfurizing and agglomerating ores, which consists in passing said ores through a narrow chamher and subjecting them to the action of heat properties in said ores without the use in an oxidizing atmosphere in said. chamber without the useof extraneous fuel. v p

3. The method of eontinuously dcsulfuriZ- mg ores,;wh1eh consists in ralsmg the temperature of successive layers of said ores to.-

the retfiired point Without the use of extra neous e1. V I '4. The method of continuouslydesulfuriz- .ing ores, which consists in continuously subjecting s'uccessive'layers of moving ore to the action of heatin an oxidizing atmosphere without the use of extraneous fuel.

5. The method of desulfurizing ores, which consists in mixing a fuel with said ores and passing the samethrough a, zone .of heat, w hereby combustion is continuously maintamed therein without, recoursev to extreme :ousheat. v p 6. Themethod of'continuously desulfuri'z- 1 -ingj.ores,which consists inmaintaining a current of air through a given I portion of a stream of moving'ore whereby combustionis maintained therein continuously Without the use of extraneous fuel. c

'7. The method of continuously desulfurizing and agglomerating ores, which consists in maintaining a zone of heat in a passing stream of ores by means of the combustive of extraneous fuel or heat.

8. The method of continuously desulfurizing and agglomerating ores, which consists in maintaining a zone of heat in apassing stream of ores solely by means of the combustive properties in said ores and passing a current of air through said zone.

9. The process of treating ores containing combustible elements, which consists in starting combustion in a stream of the ore and thereafter maintaining combustion in said stream without the use of extraneous fuel. v

10. The process of treating ores containing combustible elements, which consists in feeding the ores through a zone of combustion, in initially applying extraneous heat to start combustion in the ore passing through said zone and in thereafter maintaining combus vtion in said stream without the use of extraneous heat. I

11. The improvement in the art of treating ores so as to produce desulfurization and agglomeration which consists in igniting a stream of ore in a chamber, in feeding said stream of ore regularly through said chamher, in introducing a current of air into said moving stream of ore at a definite point between the inlet and outlet of said chamber, and in educing said current of air with the products of combustion after passing through the ore from a definite point between the air and ore inlets and also at a definite point beyond the air inlet.

12. The improvement in theart of treating ores so as to produce desulfurization and agglomeration which consists in igniting a stream of ore in a chamber, in feeding said stream of ore regularly through said chamber, in introducing a current of air into said moving stream of ore ata definite point between the inlet and outlet of said chamber and educing a part ofsaid current of air with the products of combustion at a definite point between the air and ore inlets so as to roduce a gas with a high percentage of sulur for use 1n the arts.

13. The improvement in the art of treating ores so as to produce desulfurization which consists in maintaining a zone of continuous heat in a passing stream of ores without the use of extraneous fuel or heat.

14. The improvement in the art of treating ores so as to produce agglomeration which consists in maintaining a zone of continuous heat in a passing stream of ores Without the use of extraneous fuel or heat.

15. The improvement in the art of treating ores so as to produce desulfurization and agglomeration, which consists in igniting a stream of ore in a chamber, in feeding said stream of ore regularly through said cham her, in maintaining a current of air through a definite zone of said moving stream of ore in said chamber, and in treating the inner walls of said chamber so as to prevent the incrustation of the ore thereon.

CYRUS ROBINSON.

lVitn esses BENJ. PRINCE, FRANCIS RISK. 

